1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to connectors, and more particularly to a connector formed by attaching a housing in which contacts are provided to a shield case.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A through 3 are diagrams showing a conventional connector 1. FIGS. 1A through 1C are a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the connector 1, respectively. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the connector 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the connector 1.
The connector 1 is composed mainly of a shield case 2, a housing 3, and contacts 4. The contacts 4 are attached to the housing 3, which is attached inside the shield case 2.
The shield case 2 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is formed of conductive metal such as a copper alloy. As shown enlarged in FIGS. 4A through 4C, a side fixed strip 6 is formed on each of the longitudinal opposing sides of a cylindrical case main body 5 of the shield case 2. Further, an upper fixed strip 7 is formed on each side of the upper surface of the case main body 5. Each of the fixed strips 6 and 7 is formed so as to extend inward at an angle. The side fixed strips 6 have the function of holding a plug attached to the connector 1 in the attached state. Further, the upper fixed strips 7 engage the housing 3 so that the housing 3 is fixed inside the shield case 2.
Flange parts 8 are formed on a bottom part of the main body 5 so as to extend outward therefrom. The flange parts 8 are connected to ground terminals formed on the circuit board of an electronic apparatus when the connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board. Thereby, the shield case 2 performs a shield function.
Further, an engaging groove 9 is formed on an X2 end part of each of the longitudinal sides of the case main body 5 of the shield case 2 so as to extend substantially parallel to the X1-X2 axis as shown in FIGS. 1C, 3, and 4C. The X2 end part refers to an end part of each of the longitudinal sides of the case main body 5 on the X2 side, from which the housing 3 is inserted into the case main body 5 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3.
On the other hand, the housing 3 is formed of resin. As shown enlarged in FIGS. 5A through 5D, the housing 3 includes a housing main body 10 and an extension part 11 that are formed integrally with each other. The contacts 4 are provided inside the housing 3 as shown in FIG. 2. Contact insertion holes 12 are formed in the housing main body 10 for the purpose of attaching the contacts 4 to the housing 3.
The extension part 11 is formed to extend from the housing main body 10 in the X1 direction as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Contact attachment grooves 14 are formed in the extension part 11 for the purpose of positioning the contacts 4 in given positions.
Further, an engaging convex part 15 is formed on each of the side parts of the housing main body 10 which side parts extend along the X1-X2 axis. The engaging convex parts 15 protrude outward from the sides of the housing main body 10 and extend along the X1-X2 axis for a given length.
Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 3, of a conventional method of assembling the connector 1. As shown in FIG. 3, in order to assemble the connector 1, the housing 3 in which the contacts 4 are provided beforehand is inserted into the cylindrical shield case 2.
At this point, positions in which the engaging grooves 9 are formed in the shield case 2 correspond to positions in which the engaging convex parts 15 are formed on the housing 3. Therefore, insertion of the housing 3 is performed by positioning the housing 3 with respect to the shield case 2 so that the engaging convex parts 15 are inserted into the engaging grooves 9. Thereby, the housing 3, which has a relatively elongated shape along the X1-X2 axis of FIG. 3, is attached to the shield case 2 with reliability and ease.
However, in the conventional connector 1, the engaging grooves 9 are formed in the metal shield case 2 and the engaging convex parts 15 are formed on the resin housing 3. That is, according to the conventional configuration, the engaging convex parts 15 are formed on the resin housing 3, which is weaker in strength than the metal shield case 2.
As previously described, the engaging grooves 9 and the engaging convex parts 15 are provided for positioning of the shield case 2 and the housing 3 at the time of assembly of the connector 1. Therefore, if the housing 3 is deformed in a direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 3 at the time of positioning in the case of inserting the housing 3 into the shield case 2, a great external force is applied to the engaging convex parts 15.
Further, the engaging convex parts 15, which are formed of resin to protrude outward, have a low mechanical strength. Therefore, when the external force is applied to the engaging convex parts 15 as described above, the engaging convex parts 15 may be chipped so that the reliability of the connector 1 is reduced.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a connector in which the above-described disadvantage is eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a connector whose reliability is improved.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a connector including a housing formed of resin and having contacts provided therein, a shield case formed of metal, engaging grooves formed in the housing, and engaging convex parts formed on the shield case, wherein the housing is inserted into the shield case so as to be attached thereto, and the engaging convex parts engage the engaging grooves when the housing is inserted into the shield case.
According to the above-described connector, the engaging grooves are formed in the resin housing and the engaging convex parts are formed on the shield case of metal, which provides a higher mechanical strength than resin. Therefore, the engaging convex parts having such high mechanical strength are prevented from being damaged by insertion or extraction of the housing into or from the shield case. Further, a higher mechanical strength is provided by forming the engaging grooves in the resin housing than forming engaging convex parts on the resin housing as in the configuration of the conventional connector.
Therefore, according to the configuration of the above-described connector, the engaging grooves and the engaging convex parts are prevented from being damaged so that the reliability of the connector is improved.
The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a connector including a first member having contacts provided therein, a second member shielding the first member, engaging grooves formed in the first member, and engaging convex parts formed on the second member, wherein the first member is inserted into the second member so as to be attached thereto, and positions in which the engaging grooves are formed in the first member correspond to positions in which the engaging convex parts are formed on the second member when the first member is inserted into the second member.
Additionally, in the above-described connector, the second member may be formed of a conductive material that provides a higher mechanical strength than a material of the first member.
The above-described connector can produce the same effects as described above.